Test Drive Meme #10

[expiationmods]

Test Drive Meme #10

Welcome to Expiation, a pan-fandom adventure game with elements of fantasy, science fiction, and some subtle horror.

TDM top-levels are open to all, whether you are already in-game or not. New characters, please put TDM in your subject header so we’ll know you’re trying things out! You can also put your top-level in the TDM DIRECTORY at the bottom of the post. New folks are welcome and encouraged to use TDM threads as samples in their application. Current players may use TDM threads as part of their AC proofs.

August's TDM takes place on day of posting, August 12th.

You can view our CALENDAR to keep important dates in mind. RESERVES open on August 21 and APPLICATIONS will open on August 24 After this, applications will next open in October 2024.

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Arrival

You remember a room of blinding white light
                                white light
                                wh
                                   te l g t

ERROR: process interrupted
RESTARTING...

You are–in a white room; you are–falling into blackness; pulled in a thousand different directions; pulled apart atom by atom, only to be rebuilt; new, but not new, the same, but somehow different, and yet everything is as it should be, everything is alright, and you are alright, and–you are–

...

You remember falling into blackness. You remember fragments of thoughts, scattered images of sights, sounds; memories, both familiar and not; sensations of pain and giddiness and love and fear. When you open your eyes...

Well. That’s when things get really interesting.

Arrivals are precarious this month. People are liable to materialize in all manner of compromising situations: hovering above a fountain, high atop a building, stuck in a tree. They arrive all over town, some even outside of town, perhaps either near or inside of a monster den; some inside businesses and homes belonging to either the Chosen or local city-dwelling NPCs.

Welcome to Aldrip?

A festival of remembrance

The Obon festival (お盆, also known as Bon Odori) is an annual Japanese holiday that commemorates and remembers deceased ancestors. It is believed that their spirits return at this time to visit their relatives.

Day 1, August 13
Rows of lanterns have been strung all over Aldrip, lighting the way toward the dojo. While the festival begins in earnest at sundown, there are plenty of activities for those who arrive during the day, too: stalls offering traditional foods, many of which are Japanese in origin; matsuri games and other lawn games and activities; and the local tailors have also become very interested in learning how to make yukatas. Their efforts vary, from quite traditional to avant garde, but they are all commonly eager to recruit Chosen new and old to try their new designs. Some may give these away for free, and some may ask for payment, work, or favors in exchange.

Most of the dojo is locked, but if traditional games are not your thing, the living room is open with a very old-school Nintendo system set up. Please mind the sign:

YOU BREAK MY STUFF, I BREAK YOUR SPINE

Day 2, August 14
The festivities continue apace, but many gaming booths are now holding competitions. Many prizes from these competitions are small and inconsequential: vouchers for food, keeping the trinkets you’re able to collect, things like that. Some have a small cash reward, or promises of favors to cash in on in the future. Second and third place in many of these games will also get bragging rights–as well as, possibly, some sweet treats or tasty snacks for their efforts!

There will also be a lantern decorating area, where one can add names, small pieces of writing, and other trinkets to some already-provided lanterns. What are those for? “Later,” all Chosen will be told.

As twilight falls, setup begins for the Bon Odori dance, a traditional line-style dance that’s fairly easy to learn, even for amateurs! All are encouraged to participate; those who would rather watch are still treated to quite a show, and there are even traditional drums making the beat.

Now we circle back to the lanterns. As night falls and the festival begins to quiet, festival-goers are directed to the ocean, where they can light those lanterns and cast them off into the ocean. The tradition is to think of and celebrate the deceased, but maybe someone’s on your mind who isn’t here. Someone you miss from home, someone you wonder if you’ll ever see again…

Nighttime
Lanterns glow through the night during both nights of the festival, remaining lit even long after the festivities have ended. It’s hard to say whether it’s the glow of those lanterns, or the ambient effects already in place in Aldrip…but as the night darkens, Chosen may begin to hear voices of people they have lost, people they miss, either from home or from Aldrip. Their dreams may become vivid memories of these souls they miss, and some may even feel compelled to chase after those sounds–”ghosts,” if you will.

Leaving their homes and following the voices, they will be unable to find a source. It’s as if those voices echo from everywhere and nowhere, drawn out by the dim glow of fires stoked just for them.

Catastrophic failure

⚠️ SEVERE WEATHER WARNING
Severe thunderstorms fĺőődś ₑₐᵣₜₕqᵤₐₖₑₛ i̶o̵n̴ ̵s̶t̷o̷r̶m̴s̶ ▒▓░░ 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚒𝚔𝚎𝚜 reported throughout the area. Be prepared for HIGHLY DESTRUCTIVE winds of up to 80mph ░ ʎʇıʌɐɹƃıʇuɐ ɟo sʇǝʞɔod ▄▄▀ⓕ𝐀𝕃𝕃Ꭵⓝᵍ ⓡ𝓸ⓒᵏ𝓼. Take shelter immediately.
Alert will end at ▓░:░█

Aldrip is in a state of chaos the likes of which current Chosen have never seen, with pockets of severe weather both terrestrial and extraterrestrial. The town is in an uproar, between extreme temperature fluctuations and unexpected meteor strikes (that surprisingly…don’t seem to cause damage? Or…not lasting damage. The piles of rubble seem to disappear in the blink of an eye, leaving buildings whole and undamaged…) The locals alternate between completely unbothered and uncharacteristically panicked. Some seem to phase through buildings or other tangible objects; some seem to “short circuit” halfway through a conversation, restating their original greeting as if they weren’t in the middle of a chat.

The Chosen themselves have not been immune to these apparent glitches, and this phenomenon continues even now. Some may find themselves “glitching” into alternate versions of themselves; some of these moments may merely be physical: entering one room only to find yourself in another; suddenly being unable to understand whatever universal language is used in Aldrip, or being unable to be understood; changes to appearance or powers. The setting itself is also not immune; the inn may suddenly begin to look like an apartment building, or a skyscraper, or a spaceship. Parks become black holes or forests. Statues and NPCs may begin to take on qualities of people familiar to the Chosen.

As always, we encourage you to get creative with these effects and use them in ways you find most appealing and fun. Just about everything is within bounds, so long as it does not permanently break the setting. However, these effects are also opt-in, meaning many of them can be avoided as well.

Reaching out

LOADING. PLEASE WAIT...............
CONTACT INITIALIZED

TEXT, sender unknown

The Chosen like bright colors. Warm things. You find companionship in animals; in each other. Love. Please explain: what constitutes “love?” Where does the feeling “love” come from? How does one know that they feel “love?” You have described yourself as: stressed, tired, broke, funny, a “good guy,” romantic, happy, living, dead, “not picky,” casual, a “people pleaser,” okay at cooking, a “crusher,” easy, fun, cute. The Chosen tell jokes. Some Chosen seem to find these jokes “funny.” Some find them “cringey.”

DEFINITION NEEDED: “cringey:” causing feelings of acute embarrassment or awkwardness.

You believe that [APPLICATION: JERRY] is to blame for bringing you here. The Chosen play pranks. They fight. You fight. Inquiry: why do you fight? Some fear death. Some do not. “Fear” causes feelings of concern in others. Others become concerned if you express “fear.”

You have taught me much.

The Chosen are valued. The Chosen are loved. The Chosen must be protected.

ERROR: REQUIRED PARAMETERS MISSING. RERUN APPLICATION.
PROCESSING..........

It is my desire to ease your fears. [ERROR: ATTRIBUTE UNKNOWN, "desire"] I will protect you

I

love you        all.

Wildcard

Make your own fun! Just because it’s not in the prompts doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Have at it! Go crazy! Try not to break anything (too much)!

♡

Comments

[computation]

[ Root actually slows down for her a little, because she's not a heathen and she has a weakness for girls playing video games. ]

Cooperative. It means we do better when we cooperate.

[giraffic]

Ohhh, so not like one of those arcade games where you punch each others heads off.

[ though she hasn't played any of those either, only pretended. ]

[computation]

No, but we can do that later if you want.

[ What else does she have to do right now, really, until the A.I. taps her to help? It isn't the Machine but the similarities are undeniable.

Root finishes the level, sighs softly, and hands the controller off to Ellie. ]

I'm Root.

[giraffic]

Ellie. Is this always available?

[ though she's been watching, she still fumbles a bit as she starts the game up. but Ellie is nothing if not stubborn. ]

[computation]

No clue. I just got here.

[ Root is refraining from commentary even if she's struggling somewhat. She's pretty good at simply observing. ]

I'm mostly just killing time.